Past Productions

ARLINGTON

It’s a sunny day and Sara Jane is valiantly trying to keep it that way. Her young husband, Jerry, is away at war – and though Sara Jane believes in the cause, nothing has seemed quite right lately. Especially the last few messages from Jerry. At least she has her piano – and Jerry’s bourbon – to keep her company as she tries to figure things out. But how far will she go to keep the impending storm at bay? ARLINGTON is a stirring, funny and powerful new work from playwright/novelist Victor Lodato and award-winning composer Polly Pen (Vineyard’s GOBLIN MARKET, BED AND SOFA).

Ms. Pen’s carefully written but unobtrusive music, and Mr. Lodato’s well-sketched portrait of a young woman beginning to question the beliefs she’s been raised with, are certainly nicely integrated; the music and lyrics mirror each other in mood perfectly. Ms. Pen’s music follows the wanderings of Sara Jane’s mind dutifully and with agility. Ms. Silber gives an impressive, confident and musically lustrous performance. Her soprano has a bright, blooming sheen.”

– Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

“ALEXANDRA SILBER’S PERFORMANCE COULDN’T BE MORE GORGEOUS.”

Sara Jane (played by Silber), who grew up in a military family and describes herself as “weak,” starts off singing about how great her man is, but by the end of this hour-long play she is devastated, having slowly, inadvertently, revealed to the audience the horror of war as she understands it—and, tragically, she understands it intimately.

– The New Yorker

“’ARLINGTON’ IS A SUBVERSIVE DELIGHT!

A tightly packed little firecracker!”

– James Hannaham, Village Voice

“THE PRODIGIOUSLY GIFTED ALEXANDRA SILBER IS TERRIFIC!

A joy to watch and hear.”

– Adam Feldman, Time Out

“MS. SILBER’S PERFORMANCE IS EXTRAORDINARY,

at once vulnerable and forceful, confident and in fine voice for the duration.
The music, by Polly Pen, is melodic and lovely”

– Jesse Oxfeld, The New York Observer

“ENGAGING!

Silber has golden pipes and sturdy acting chops and expertly conveys
Sara’s shifting state of mind and her sweetness, uncertainty and despair.”

– Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News

“SILBER’S FIERCE COMMAND OF THE STAGE SHINES THROUGH!

Victor Lodato and Polly Pen have developed a unique and compelling
theatrical approach to addressing the unsolvable riddles of the nature of war.”

– Hayley Levitt, TheaterMania

“THIS IS A HANDSOMELY PRESSED, POLISHED, AND AFFECTING WORK!
ALEXANDRA SILBER IS A WONDER AS SARA JANE,

Gorgeous, full-weight legit music.”

– Matthew Murray, Talkin’ Broadway

“ALEXANDRA SILBER GIVES AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE!

Ben Moss is equally adept musically,
while bringing convincing depth of character.
Lodato’s text creates a poetic exploration of a woman caught in a crisis of thought.

Arlington provides a worthwhile example of how seriously thoughtful and adventurous
dramatic writing can be incorporated into the realm of musical theatre.

– Ron Cohen, NYtheatrenow.com

“AN EXCELLENT AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING SHOW!

Carefully and smartly written.

Silber’s nuanced portrayal of Sara’s transformation is exceptional.

– Gregory A. Wilson, CurtainUp

An inaugural version of ARLINGTON was commissioned and presented by PREMIERES in New York City; Paulette Haupt, Artistic Director.

The full-length version of ARLINGTON was commissioned and given its world premiere on November 20, 2013 by Magic Theatre, San Francisco, CA. Loretta Greco, Producing Artistic Director.

This production is made possible in part by a grant from The Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund.Photo by Eric Pargac.

ARLINGTON

February 12 - March 23, 2014

It's a sunny day and Sara Jane is valiantly trying to keep it that way. Her young husband, Jerry, is away at war - and though Sara Jane believes in the cause, nothing has seemed quite right lately. Especially the last few messages from Jerry. At least she has her piano - and Jerry's bourbon - to keep her company as she tries to figure things out. But how far will she go to keep the impending storm at bay? ARLINGTON is a stirring, funny and powerful new work from playwright/novelist Victor Lodato and award-winning composer Polly Pen (Vineyard's GOBLIN MARKET, BED AND SOFA).

Ms. Pen’s carefully written but unobtrusive music, and Mr. Lodato’s well-sketched portrait of a young woman beginning to question the beliefs she’s been raised with, are certainly nicely integrated; the music and lyrics mirror each other in mood perfectly. Ms. Pen’s music follows the wanderings of Sara Jane’s mind dutifully and with agility. Ms. Silber gives an impressive, confident and musically lustrous performance. Her soprano has a bright, blooming sheen.”

– Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

“ALEXANDRA SILBER’S PERFORMANCE COULDN’T BE MORE GORGEOUS.”

Sara Jane (played by Silber), who grew up in a military family and describes herself as “weak,” starts off singing about how great her man is, but by the end of this hour-long play she is devastated, having slowly, inadvertently, revealed to the audience the horror of war as she understands it—and, tragically, she understands it intimately.

– The New Yorker

“’ARLINGTON’ IS A SUBVERSIVE DELIGHT!

A tightly packed little firecracker!”

- James Hannaham, Village Voice

“THE PRODIGIOUSLY GIFTED ALEXANDRA SILBER IS TERRIFIC!

A joy to watch and hear.”

– Adam Feldman, Time Out

“MS. SILBER’S PERFORMANCE IS EXTRAORDINARY,

at once vulnerable and forceful, confident and in fine voice for the duration.
The music, by Polly Pen, is melodic and lovely”

– Jesse Oxfeld, The New York Observer

“ENGAGING!

Silber has golden pipes and sturdy acting chops and expertly conveys
Sara’s shifting state of mind and her sweetness, uncertainty and despair.”

– Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News

“SILBER'S FIERCE COMMAND OF THE STAGE SHINES THROUGH!

Victor Lodato and Polly Pen have developed a unique and compelling
theatrical approach to addressing the unsolvable riddles of the nature of war.”

– Hayley Levitt, TheaterMania

“THIS IS A HANDSOMELY PRESSED, POLISHED, AND AFFECTING WORK!
ALEXANDRA SILBER IS A WONDER AS SARA JANE,

Gorgeous, full-weight legit music.”

– Matthew Murray, Talkin’ Broadway

“ALEXANDRA SILBER GIVES AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE!

Ben Moss is equally adept musically,
while bringing convincing depth of character.
Lodato’s text creates a poetic exploration of a woman caught in a crisis of thought.

Arlington provides a worthwhile example of how seriously thoughtful and adventurous
dramatic writing can be incorporated into the realm of musical theatre.

– Ron Cohen, NYtheatrenow.com

“AN EXCELLENT AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING SHOW!

Carefully and smartly written.

Silber’s nuanced portrayal of Sara's transformation is exceptional.

– Gregory A. Wilson, CurtainUp

An inaugural version of ARLINGTON was commissioned and presented by PREMIERES in New York City; Paulette Haupt, Artistic Director. The full-length version of ARLINGTON was commissioned and given its world premiere on November 20, 2013 by Magic Theatre, San Francisco, CA. Loretta Greco, Producing Artistic Director. This production is made possible in part by a grant from The Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund.Photo by Eric Pargac.

(Sara Jane) Born in Los Angeles, California, Alexandra Silber grew up outside Detroit, Michigan.
She attended Interlochen Center for the Arts, graduating with the coveted Young Artist Award and continued her training at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) in Glasgow, majoring in Acting. She graduated in 2005 with The Faculty Student of the Year award just days before her West End debut as Laura Fairlie in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman in White.
Alexandra made her feature film debut in Stephen King's 1408 starring John Cusack, before portraying Hodel in The Sheffield Crucible’s 2007 production of Fiddler on the Roof, and its subsequent West End transfer.
She joined Fiddler on the Roof director Lindsay Posner once again, portraying Julie Jordan in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel at The Savoy Theatre in London’s West End. She received tremendous critical acclaim, and received Great Britain’s TMA Award for Best Performance in a Musical.
Alexandra made her American acting debut in a revival of her portrayal of Julie Jordan for Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles, (under the artistic directorship of Jason Alexander) once again to overwhelming critical acclaim, and garnered an Ovation-nomination. She joined Tony Award winner Tyne Daly in Terrence McNally’s Master Class at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, directed by Stephen Wadsworth, and made her Broadway debut in the same production with Manhattan Theatre Club in the Spring of 2011 (garnering a nod from Backstage for one of the great theater performances of 2011).
Alexandra made her New York theatre debut portraying The Young Wife in the Transport Group’s Revival of Michael John LaChiusa’s Hello Again, and was nominated for a Drama League Award. She debuted two of her solo cabarets entitled “London Still” and "Ex Libris," at the esteemed New York nightclub Feinstein’s at The Loews Regency, and was honored to be a part of Barbara Cook’s Spotlight Series at The Kennedy Center in December of 2011.
Last fall she portrayed Jenny Cavilerri in the North American Premiere of Love Story the Musical at The Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, and returned to New York in a highly-acclaimed performance of Arlington - a new one woman musical, as part of the Inner Voices series. Alexandra has also appeared as a Guest Star on all three branches of the Law & Order series (SVU, Criminal Intent and the original).
In April, 2013 Alexandra made her Carnegie Hall debut singing the role of Nina with the Collegiate Chorale and American Symphony Orchestra in a concert performance of Song Of Norway, followed by a summer festival appearance at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts with The Orchestra of St. Luke's as Amalia Balash in She Loves Me, marking the first time a musical has been presented at this prestigious venue. Alexandra made her San Francisco Symphony debut as Maria in concert performances and a recording of West Side Story with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, and she returned to her hometown to appear with Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in t

(Pianist/Music Director) Ben Moss is thrilled to be making his off-Broadway debut in ARLINGTON. Previous credits include SPRING AWAKENING (1st National Tour), BUNKED! (NY International Fringe Festival, 2010), and various commercials and films. Ben graduated from Harvard University in 2013 with a degree in English, and was the recipient of the Radcliffe Doris Cohen Levi Prize for Musical Theater. As an undergraduate, Ben was a cast member and composer of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, and a member of The Signet Society. Ben has worked with composers and directors at the American Repertory Theater, The Public Theater, Prospect Theater Company, Lincoln Center Theater, and New York Stage and Film. He is represented by CESD and is a proud member of Actors' Equity. Unending gratitude to Kimberly Grigsby and Michael Friedman, and love to Mom, Dad, Caroline and Lucy. Follow him on Twitter @BenKMoss.<><>

(Book & Lyrics) Victor Lodato is a playwright, poet, and novelist. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, as well as the recipient of the Weissberger Award for his play Motherhouse. Other plays include Wildlife, Dear Sara Jane, The Bread of Winter, Margo and Zelda, and Slay the Dragon. Other honors include a Helen Merrill Award, the John Golden Prize, Julie Harris Playwriting Award; as well as fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Princess Grace Foundation, The Robert Chesley Foundation, The Camargo Foundation (France), and The Bogliasco Foundation (Italy).
His play 3F, 4F received its world premiere at the Magic Theatre, as did his play The Eviction (winner of a Roger L. Stevens Award from The Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays). The Eviction was subsequently produced by Theatre Na Zabradli in Prague, where it remains part of the company’s permanent repertory. Other works have been produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Humana Festival), Contemporary American Theater Festival, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, Summer Play Festival/NYC, Theater Alliance (Washington, DC), Quartieri dell’Arte Festival (Viterbo, Italy), and Teatro Colosseo (Rome). His plays have received workshops and readings at Manhattan Theatre Club, American Conservatory Theatre, The National Theatre/London, The Guthrie Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Primary Stages, The Play Company, and The Playwrights' Center. Victor has thrice developed work at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference. He has received commissions from South Coast Repertory and the Magic Theatre. Victor is an alumnus of New Dramatists, and a member of The Dramatists Guild of America.
His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, North American Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Southern Review, Northwest Review, and New American Short Plays (edited by Craig Lucas).
Victor’s first novel, Mathilda Savitch, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The book has been translated into thirteen languages, and published in sixteen countries.

(Composer) Polly Pen is an Obie Award winner for the score of BED AND SOFA, which received seven Drama Desk nominations. BED AND SOFA premiered at the Vineyard Theatre, NYC and recently received its London premiere at the Finborough Theatre. Polly’s first Off-Broadway production as both composer and co-author, GOBLIN MARKET, received five Drama Desk nominations and the BEST PLAYS Special Citation for Musical Composition and Adaptation. Other works include THE NIGHT GOVERNESS (McCarter Theatre), HOUSE FOR SALE (The Transport Group), HER LIGHTNESS (Sarasota Opera), THE DUMB CAKE(a radio musical for NPR), EMBARRASSMENTS (Wilma Theater) and CHRISTINA ALBERTA'S FATHER(Vineyard Theatre), which received a Richard Rodgers Award, an Obie and a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Music. Polly is the recipient of several NEA grants, The Kitty Carlisle Hart Award and the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Award for Musical Theatre. She has been honored by a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center and received the Dramatists Guild’s 2009 Flora Roberts Award for a distinguished body of work. She has been a National Theatre Artist-in-Residence at McCarter Theatre, and is a professor at NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Polly has served on the Council of The Dramatists Guild and currently serves on the Board of Dramatists Play Service. In another life, Polly worked extensively as an actor on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in repertory theatres throughout the U.S.<><><><><><><><>

(Director) New York: GREAT GOD PAN, AFTER THE REVOLUTION (Calloway Award) and ESSENTIAL SELF DEFENSE (Playwrights Horizons), REGRETS and PUMPGIRL (MTC), INA DARK HOUSE (MCC), THE TALLS (Second Stage), SOMETHING YOU DID (Primary Stages), CORE VALUES (Ars Nova), ORANGE FLOWER WATER, NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A STORM, LIVING ROOM IN AFRICA and STONE COLD DEAD SERIOUS (Edge Theater). Regional: THE VIOLET HOUR (Old Globe), RABBIT HOLE (Geffen, Garland Award), DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (Papermill), AFTER THE REVOLUTION, NOT WAVING and KING STAG (Williamstown), VERA LAUGHED and GET WHAT YOU NEED (NYS&F). Carolyn has received the Kanin-Seldes Theatre Hall of Fame Fellowship, the Sagal and Foeller Fellowships from Williamstown, a Drama League Directing Fellowship and an Obie Grant for Edge Theater where she was the founding Artistic Director. Carolyn is a NYTW Usual Suspect, a graduate of Dartmouth College and the mother of Stella and Vivian Korins. Upcoming: FLY BY NIGHT at Playwrights Horizons.

(Costume Designer) HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, THE DYING GAUL and THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME at The Vineyard Theater; Selected NY credits include JERSEY BOYS (also on tour and internationally), Disney’s NEWSIES, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE with Al Pacino (Tony nomination), HENRY IV with Kevin Kline (Tony nomination), THE RIVALS (2005 Tony Award), MOTHERS AND SONS with Tyne Daly, ORPHANS with Alec Baldwin, BURIED CHILD, PROOF, TAKE ME OUT, LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, DINNER WITH FRIENDS, THE MINEOLA TWINS (Lortel and Hughes Awards), STUFF HAPPENS, NEXT FALL, CORPUS CHRISTI, OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY, IL TRITTICO for the Metropolitan Opera and DEAD MAN WALKING, OF MICE AND MEN and THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE for New York City Opera. Film designs include Tony Goldwyn’s A Walk on the Moon, The Substance of Fire and Love! Valour! Compassion! Jess is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and has taught design there since 1990.<><><><><><>

(Production Manager) is excited to be working on her first production with the Vineyard Theatre. Recent credits include A MAN'S A MAN at Classic Stage Company, and LA SOIREE at Union Square Theatre. Other notable New York Credits include PASSION, IVANOV, CHERRY ORCHARD, SCHOOL FOR LIES, GALILEO, and UNNATURAL ACTS at Classic Stage Company. MY NAME IS ASHER LEV and VOCA PEOPLE at Westside Theater. MURDER BALLAD and TRACES at Union Square Theatre, and INVASION at both the Soho Rep and Flea Theater. After receiving a BFA from University of Minnesota-Duluth in costume design, she spent nearly a decade touring around the world for Feld Entertainment, Dreamworks, and Grobal Creatures working on such shows as DISNEY ON ICE, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.

Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) has announced the dates, creative team and leading actress for its next production – the new musical ARLINGTON by Victor Lodato and Polly Pen – with previews set to begin Wednesday, February 12 prior to its official opening night on Sunday, March 2, according to Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director, and Sarah Stern, Co-Artistic Director.
Carolyn Cantor (THE GREAT GOD PAN, AFTER THE REVOLUTION) will direct ARLINGTON, which will feature set design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting design by Tyler Micoleau, and sound design by Dan Moses Schreier. The Production Stage Manager is Colyn Fiendel.
ARLINGTON will star Alexandra Silber (MASTER CLASS on Broadway with Tyne Daly) as Sara Jane, a young wife who valiantly tries to remain hopeful while her husband is away at war, despite a growing concern that something is not quite right.
ARLINGTON has book and lyrics by the playwright and novelist Victor Lodato and music by Polly Pen.
Polly Pen has a long and fruitful relationship with The Vineyard, where her acclaimed musicals GOBLIN MARKET, BED AND SOFA and CHRISTINA ALBERTA'S FATHER all had their debuts. BED AND SOFA earned Ms. Pen an Obie Award, and the production received seven Drama Desk nominations, while GOBLIN MARKET received five Drama Desk nominations and transferred to a commercial run Off-Broadway. Ms. Pen's other works include THE NIGHT GOVERNESS (McCarter Theatre), HER LIGHTNESS (Sarasota Opera), THE DUMB CAKE (a radio musical for NPR), and EMBARRASSMENTS (Wilma Theatre).
Victor Lodato's play 3F, 4F received its world-premiere at the Magic Theatre, as did his play THE EVICTION, which received the Roger L. Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center. A Guggenheim Fellow, his plays MOTHERHOUSE, WILDLIFE, DEAR SARA JANE, THE BREAD OF WINTER, MARGO AND ZELDA and SLAY THE DRAGON have been performed variously at the Humana Festival, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati and Summer Play Festival/NYC along with workshops and readings of his works at Manhattan Theatre Club, American Conservatory Theatre and The Guthrie. A poet and novelist as well as a playwright, Lodato's writing has appeared in numerous periodicals including The New Yorker. His first novel, “Mathilda Savitch” has been translated into 13 languages.
Alexandra Silber made her Broadway debut in MASTER CLASS starring Tyne Daly, having performed in that production at The Kennedy Center. She received critical acclaim for her roles in London's West End productions of THE WOMAN IN WHITE, as Hodel in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and as Julie Jordan in CAROUSEL, for which she received Great Britain's TMA Award for Best Performance in a Musical. Ms. Silber reprised her performance in CAROUSEL for the Reprise Theatre Company in L.A. earning an Ovation nomination. She made her New York debut as The Young Wife in the Transport Group's revival of Michael John LaChiusa's musical HELLO AGAIN, receiving a Drama League nomination, and made her Carnegie Hall debut in April 2013 as Nina in SONG OF NORWAY with the American Symphony Orchestra, followed by her San Francisco Symphony debut as Maria in concert performances and a recording of

February 12 - March 6, 2014

Ms. Pen’s carefully written but unobtrusive music, and Mr. Lodato’s well-sketched portrait of a young woman beginning to question the beliefs she’s been raised with, are certainly nicely integrated; the music and lyrics mirror each other in mood perfectly. Ms. Pen’s m<><><>

Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) has announced the dates, creative team and leading actress for its next production – the new musical ARLINGTON by Victor Lodato and Polly Pen – with previews set to begin Wednesday, February 12 prior to its official opening night on Sunday, March 2, according to

The Vineyard Theatre, Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director, and Sarah Stern, Co-Artistic Director, proudly announces the third production of their 2013-2014 season and casting of the world premiere musical THE LANDING.
Tony and Emmy Award-winner David Hyde Pierce (CURTAINS, VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE, “Frasier”), Drama Desk Award-nominee Julia Murney (An<><>